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Chapter 1

Mary Joanna held back the tears She was not going to give hi her cry She knew her days at the needle factory were over She had seen this co before it had reached this point

“I tried all I could Mary, but it’s just that bad” Jerry, the factory uys at the top just don’t want anything they feel is not absolutely necessary with the econos”

Mary did not believe it but she made to pick up the pink slip froht hand, “Of course I could put on some pressure for you if you like; I could tell them how dedicated, punctual and dedicated you’ve been… that is if you do so for me”

Mary wanted to slap the lewd s was in retaliation to her repeated refusals towards his advances If she felt put off by him before, she positively hated him now

Ever civil, she grabbed the pink slip and pulled her hand away, “Thanks, but no thanks I think I’ll pass”

“What is wrong with you?! Why are you so da out of his chair “You think you’re better than any of theirls? Than Eileen? Than Roxy?”

“I don’t wanna hear the nahtened to your twisted ends Jerry! I have takenfor the door

“You think it is easy out there?! On the streets?! I took you in when nobody else would; I took you all in even e did not need the extra personnel-you owe me!” he was almost upon her now

She turned to face him Six inches taller than she was, she raised her head to look hiht in the eye, “I knohat you did for rateful but don’t you ever in your life tell me what I can and cannot do” Jerry suddenly felt shorter all of a sudden, and he quickly remembered that Mary was no pushover She continued, “What do you know about the streets Jerry? Growing up in your little suburban getaway-breakfasts before school, presents at Christrew on the streets and it does not scare me-not anymore!”

Jerry staring into her dark, liquid eyes felt embarrassed at her open defiance, not only at hily he could not shake the creeping feeling of loss The type you feel when you are about to lose soh your own fault entirely Most of all, he felt disappointed; just over an hour ago he had envisioned thisan entirely different course, eventually ending with Mary gratefully ju her job back but he knew she would not take it He knew she would not take it however; Mary had too much pride-or was it self-respect?

He rowled into her defiant face “And don’t co back The stubborn feeling of loss remained

Mary pulled up along the curb that lay by her house She was surprised at the silence, Andre was supposed to be home and there was never a silent moment when he was around

Mary sighed, thinking of her brother Andre Strong, athletic, good looking, he was not book smart, but he was street smart He also had not held a real job in over three years, so which Mary had never failed to remind him of the whole tied the odd job here and there, but she kneas capable of so e

The aparthly the middle of a series of siht, set in a neighborhood which was not a pretty sight She ht about the trash she had to skip over to get to the door

Not very far away, a rowdy big ame was under way Leander Kolarov, both drunk and alert, the way only Russians can pull off, was barely visible behind the pile of stacks he had aht other players seated around the semi-circular table, a dealer sat at the head

The game, near its end, already had a winner-except Leander could soame The others seated at the table with their poker faces intact secretly hoped he would, but following his track record, they were not about holding their breaths None of theh, ten times over